For some time, farmers have had the option of purchasing grain drying equipment, which typically requires the movement of grain from a standard storage bin into a larger (dedicated) grain dryer system. Pre-owned systems can sometimes be acquired for about $20,000, while others can reach or exceed $100,000.
As an alternative to such high cost equipment, farmers have been exploring the use of diesel or propane construction heaters to add heat to their existing unheated grain bins. Available commercial heaters of this type include those marketed by Frost Fighter Inc., Flagro Industries Ltd., and Aerotech Herman Nelson International Inc. One challenge faced is the need for an ad hoc method of directing the heated air from the heater into the grain bin. For bins that contain ground level aeration fans, one solution has been to construct a box over the fan for the purpose of mixing the heated air with ambient outside air. Without particular control over the drying conditions, there's the potential for harm caused by overheating or over-drying, plus potential for significant operating inefficiencies, particularly if the construction heaters are operated in a continuous heating mode, thus burning more fuel than necessary to obtain optimal drying conditions.
As another alternative, a grain dryer product known as the Air-O-Matic pre-heater can be coupled to a large diameter flex-duct, whose end is fit over the circular intake end of the cylindrically shaped housing of an axial or inline centrifugal bin aeration fan, while a thermostat controls cycling of the heater. However, the end of the flexible duct is not compatible with side-intake centrifugal fans, thus again leaving the ad-hoc challenge of how to direct heated air into the aeration fan.
Accordingly, there remains room for improvements and alternatives in the field of heated grain bin aeration.